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Cubic, faces may be striated, but also frequently octahedral and pyritohedral. Often inter-grown, massive, radiated, granular, globular, and stalactitic. The mineral pyrite (/ ˈpaɪraɪt / PY-ryte), [6] or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula Fe S 2 (iron (II) disulfide).
A mixture of other minerals, often including pyrite. Lapis lazuli (UK: / ˌlæpɪs ˈlæz (j) ʊli, ˈlæʒʊ -, - ˌli /; US: / ˈlæz (j) əli, ˈlæʒə -, - ˌli /), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color.
Amethyst is a violet variety of quartz. The name comes from the Koine Greek αμέθυστος amethystos from α- a- , "not" and μεθύσκω ( Ancient Greek ) methysko / μεθώ metho ( Modern Greek ), "intoxicate", a reference to the belief that the stone protected its owner from drunkenness . [ 1 ]
Crystal habit. In mineralogy, crystal habit is the characteristic external shape of an individual crystal or aggregate of crystals. The habit of a crystal is dependent on its crystallographic form and growth conditions, which generally creates irregularities due to limited space in the crystallizing medium (commonly in rocks). [1][2]
Crystal twinning. Quartz – Japan twin. Diagram of twinned crystals of albite. On the more perfect cleavage, which is parallel to the basal plane (P), is a system of fine striations, parallel to the second cleavage (M). Crystal twinning occurs when two or more adjacent crystals of the same mineral are oriented so that they share some of the ...
Gemstone. Group of precious and semiprecious stones—both uncut and faceted—including (clockwise from top left) diamond, uncut synthetic sapphire, ruby, uncut emerald, and amethyst crystal cluster. A gemstone (also called a fine gem, jewel, precious stone, semiprecious stone, or simply gem) is a piece of mineral crystal which, when cut or ...
Crystal. Crystals of amethyst quartz. Microscopically, a single crystal has atoms in a near-perfect periodic arrangement; a polycrystal is composed of many microscopic crystals (called "crystallites" or "grains"); and an amorphous solid (such as glass) has no periodic arrangement even microscopically. A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid ...
An amethyst stone from South Africa. Amethyste or Amethystos (Ancient Greek: Ἀμέθυστη, romanized: Améthustē, lit. 'non-drunk') is supposedly a nymph in Greek mythology who was turned into a precious stone by the goddess Diana/Artemis in order to avoid a worse fate at the hands of the god Dionysus, thus explaining the origin of the semi-precious stone amethyst.